Display clamp



, Aug. 21,1934. 7 RUBENS-[EN 1,970,868

DI SPLAY CLAMP Filed April 10, 1933 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 21,1934 usrrso STATES DISPLAY CLAMP Charles Rubenstein, Kansas City, Mo.,assignor to Hall Brothers, 1110.,

poration of Missouri Kansas City,'Mo., a cor- Application April 10,1933, Serial No. 665,380 r 4 Claims.

My invention relates to holders for cards, envelopes containingmerchandise, or other flat or substantially flat articles, and moreparticularly to a device of that character for displaying such articlesfor sale on counters or the like.

It has become acustom for manufacturers of small articles to supply thesame to retail dealers on display cards which may be set on 1 countersin retail stores to display the articles to prospective purchasers, andlikewise serve to carry the dealers stock of such articles, so thatother storage thereof in show cases or on shelves is unnecessary.Usually the articles for display and sale are mounted on backboards bymeans of clips, brackets, or the like, which are shipped to the dealerseparately from the backboards and assembled therewith by the dealerwhen a card of the articles is to be displayed, and it is the principalobject of my invention to provide a holder or bracket particularlyadapted for carrying a number of post cards, envelope of merchandise, orlike articles, which may be readily applied to or removed from abackboard, and when in place will securely hold the cards or otherarticles and securely retain the holder to the backboard.

In accomplishing this object I have provided improved details ofstructure, the preferred iforms of which are illustrated in theaccompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view, partly in longitudinal section, of abackboard equipped with a plurality of holders for card or like articlesiembodying my invention, illustrating mounting of the holders on thebackboard and mounting of vendable articles in the holders.

Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view of the holder proper as it appearswhen constructed .of spring wire.

Fig. 3 is a central, longitudinal section of the holder.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a backboard in longitudinal sectionillustrating mode of application of a holder to the board and assemblyof a holder on the board with the holder supplied with a number ofarticles for display.

Referring more in detail to the drawing:

1 designates a backboard preferably of heavy cardboard so that it mayretain its shape when supported on a counter and weighted with articlesfor display, and 22' spaced apertures arranged in pairs preferably intransverse and vertical rows throughout the width and length .of theboard for receiving hook members of a holder proper embodying myinvention.

The holder proper is preferably constructed of a single piece of springwire bent upon itself to provide a back member 3, preferablyrectangular, with a cross-bar 4 at its upper end and an open lower end.The side legs 5 of the back member are bent forwardly and then upwardlyand at a forward incline to preferably above the longitudinal center ofthe back memher to form front members 6, then laterally outwardly toform front horizontal rails "I, then rearwardly and horizontally to formedge rails 8, and then upwardly to form hook extensions 9', angularly ofthe front member 6-to the plane of the back member 3 and length of theedge rails 8 being so related that when the holder is undistorted thehook extensions will lie forwardly of the back member (Fig. 3) so thatwhen; applied to a backboard the back member 3 will be yieldinglypressed against the front of the board to retain the holder to the boardby spring clamp action and articles in the holder under pressure.

Assuming the holders proper and the backboard to be constructed asdescribed, the holders, board and merchandise may be shipped to a dealerin separate wrappings but in a single, compact package. Upon receipt ofthe package the dealer may assemble the holders proper on the board byplacing the top rail of the back member of a holder against the boardabove a pair of apertures, bending the back member and compressing thefront members to project the hook extensions through the apertures andthen permitting the spring tension in' the holder to seat the holderagainst the front of the backboard, all as indicated in the severalfigures of the drawing.

When all of the holders for which the card is adapted have beenassembled, the holders may be filled with cards, or other merchandisewhich they are adapted to carry, by inserting such merchandise betweenthe front and back members and between the edge rails 8 so that themerchandise is yieldingly gripped to prevent accidental displacementfrom the holder and held in neat, even arrangement on the display card.

When the holders proper are to be removed from the card for reshipment,or any other purpose, it is only necessary to pull the lower ends of theholder forwardly to spring the backs as when applying the holder to thecard and until the hook extensions can be removed through the aperturesin the card.

It is thus apparent that I have provided a convenient and attractiveholder of the character described which can be easily and quicklyassembled on a backboard and will hold merchandise of the character forwhich it is intended securely, conveniently and attractively.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In combination with a back board havingspaced apertures, a holder ofspring wire bent to form a back member, and front legs spaced from theback member, the ends of the front legs being extended laterally,rearwardly and then upwardly in a plane normally lying in front of theplane of the back member and extendible through the apertures in theback board to lie in the plane to the rear of the back member wherebytension stored in the legs and back member incidental to the retentionof the legs in the plane at the rear of the back member causes the legextensions to cooperate with the back member in gripping the back boardtherebetween in retaining the holder.

2. In combination with a back board having spaced apertures, a holder ofspring wire bent to form an inverted U-shaped gripping member, and frontlegs spaced from the gripping member to provide an articleretainingpocket therebetween, the ends of the front legs being bentlaterally and rearwardly to form the sides of the pocket and thenextended upwardly in a plane normally lying in a plane extending throughthe pocket and extendible through the apertures inthe back board to liein a plane to the rear of the pocket whereby tension stored up in thelegs and gripping member incidental to passing the upper ends of thelegs through the apertures causes the leg extensions to cooperate withthe back member in gripping the back board therebetween in retaining theholder.

3. A holder of the character described including a single piece ofspring wire bent to form a back member, and front legs spaced from theback member to form an article receiving pocket therebetween, the upperends of the front legs being extended laterally rearwardly and thenupwardly in a plane normally lying in front of the plane of the backmember to grip a support therebetween when the leg extensions are movedinto a plane extending to the rear of the back member.

4.-A holder of the character described comprising a single piece ofspring wire bent to form an inverted U-shaped back member, and frontlegs spaced outwardly from the back member to form an article, receivingpocket therebetween, the ends of the front member being extendedlaterally and rearwardly to form sides of the pocket and then upwardlyin a plane normally lying in front of the plane of the, back member toform gripping portions cooperating with the back member when the legextensions are moved to a plane in the rear of the back member to engageopposite faces of a support.

CHARLES RUBENSTEIN.

